Insect protein industry bites back at climate change and malnutrition despite dietary limitations

15 Mar 2023 --- Insect protein can help feed a growing world population and contribute to environmental sustainability goals, but the rise of plant-based diets and complications around halal and kosher certifications threaten to dilute the industry’s global impact. 

On the regulatory front, insect protein innovators in the EU, Singapore and Vietnam are enjoying reliable governmental support, as companies strive to develop increasingly attractive products for human and animal consumption.

FoodIngredientsFirst speaks to two such companies in Protenga and Cricket One. Singapore-based Protenga backs its choice of insect – the black soldier fly – as the best option for creating sustainable, circular nutrient cycles. Meanwhile, Vietnam-based Cricket One touts cricket as an abundant source of protein, vitamins and minerals.

We also shed light on insect protein’s emergence in the EU in conversation with the International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF), a non-profit representing the industry’s interests to European policymakers.

Feeding the world sustainably
The UN Population Division expects the world population to hit 9.7 billion people in 2050 and around 10.3 billion by 2100. Moreover, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation warns that food production will need to increase by 70% to meet the new demand.

Insects are a common street food across many Asian countries.Yet future protein production must avoid exacerbating climate change, as the conventional livestock industry faces rising pressure around its high greenhouse gas emissions. Insect protein developers believe they can help feed the world sustainably with localized nutrition cycles.

“Insect farming closes the loop by recycling by-products and food waste into high-quality nutrients. Historically, insects are an original and natural part of human and animal nutrition, and balanced ecosystems are full of nutrient cycles often facilitated by insects,” says Leo Wein, founder and CEO at Protenga.

“However, our food system has lost a lot of these cycles over the last 100-150 years of industrialization, commoditization and globalization. The insect industry aims to reintroduce this original protein and nutrient source for both animal, pet and human nutrition in balance with nature.”

More than two billion people are estimated to consume crickets worldwide, for example, in street food in Thailand and Cambodia. In Japan, cricket powder is added to elderly consumers’ food to improve digestion through a chitin-derived prebiotic.

Meanwhile, insect products can deliver protein with minimal environmental impact and reduce dependency on energy-intensive imports, which helps countries sidestep volatile global food supply chains.

“Crickets require 10% of the feed needed to grow a kilo of beef. Also, one kilo of crickets requires just 2.5 liters of water, which is 8,000 times less than beef and 15 times less than leading plant-based meats,” points out Nam Dang, CEO of Cricket One.

“Cricket production at scale is a feasible solution to feed the growing population and address SDG goals. We estimate that a cricket farm of 100 hectares will be capable of producing enough protein for a country the size of Singapore.”Protenga primarily targets pet food and animal feed markets, which are not subject to religious scrutiny (Image credit: Protenga).

Ethical and religious obstacles
The burgeoning insect protein sector is not without its challenges. Notably, the proliferation of plant-based diets poses a barrier to an industry that relies inherently on harvesting animals on a mass scale. Whether insects are sentient creatures is also still up for debate.

According to Alice Grassi, communication manager at IPIFF, there are different and changing beliefs within the plant-based movement around consuming edible insects, which creates new opportunities for producers.

“Vegans prefer to maintain their diet and not use these products. However, other consumers are more prone to taste and eat insects due to their nutritional benefits and lower environmental footprint. Flexitarians, organic food consumers or those following a paleo diet are generally paying more attention to sustainable food sourcing or health effects,” she tells us.

Meanwhile, members of IPIFF and its regional allies (North American Coalition for Insect Agriculture, Asian Food and Feed Insect Association and Insect Protein Association of Australia) are conscious of the market challenges related to halal and kosher certifications.

“There is interest in gathering information on these certifications for insect products, as it could help widen the audience,” continues Grassi. “Nevertheless, as the certifications depend on the interpretation of the relevant authorities, the topic needs to be fully developed with more research.”

Protenga alleviates the impacts of lacking halal and kosher certifications for its black soldier fly products by mainly focusing on animal and pet nutrition, which is not regulated by these standards.

The extent to which insects are sentient creatures is still debated.“However, it is important to address the market concerns,” says Wein. “We strictly feed our insects only agricultural by-products with no contamination to other animal by-products to comply with EU but also religious regulations requiring no animal by-products like pig or poultry.”

In some markets like Indonesia, cricket and grasshopper products have gained halal certifications for human consumption. However, in other regions like the UAE, all insects except for locusts remain non-halal.

Governments offer support
Since the insect protein industry secured its first EU Novel Food authorization in 2021 for yellow mealworm larvae, several other positive European Food Safety Authority opinions and consequent authorizations have followed, including dried and frozen migratory locust and dried, ground and frozen house cricket.

On the animal feed side, an EU Commission regulation authorized the use of processed animal proteins derived from farmed insects in pig and poultry feed, which entered into force in 2021.

“This authorization opened up two of the most relevant EU animal feed markets – representing around 65% of the EU compound feed production – meaning demand for insects as feed is expected to grow and lead to an increase in the sector’s production capacity,” notes Grassi.

“Further, the EU has defined baseline standards for the production and placing on the market of insect frass as organic fertilizer. The legal text aligns the heat treatment process with those applying to processed animal manure, harmonizing processing standards across member states.”

In Singapore, Wein informs us that the government strongly supports the development of the insect protein industry through research funding and investments. Notably, the Singapore Food Agency has requested public feedback on its regulations regarding insect products for human consumption, while the next Insects to Feed the World conference will be held in the country in June 2024.Protenga is pioneering next generation smart insect farms to boost productivity and cost-effectiveness (Image credit: Protenga).

“Protenga is supported and funded by Seeds Capital, a venture capital investment arm of Enterprise Singapore, which is a government agency for home-grown enterprise development,” shares Wein.

In Vietnam, cricket farming is no novelty, but the industry has garnered more attention recently due to alternative protein trends in the West, says Dang. The government has been working to establish partnerships between industry players like Cricket One and research institutions to develop feed for the insect, cricket food applications and automated cricket farms.

“Vietnam is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change – invasive sea water makes rice cultivation difficult in the Mekong delta, and the shrimp farming industry is destroying thousands of hectares of fertile land. The local government supports initiatives that mitigate and adapt to climate change, including cricket farming,” he explains.

Products and prospects
The insect protein industry has much potential and is increasingly harnessing new technologies while exploring new market opportunities. Protenga, for example, is developing its next generation of smart insect farms, which will provide advanced productivity to supply insect protein to enlarging markets at a competitive cost.

“The advances in our Smart Insect Farm technology are powered by our InsectOS – a proprietary digital farm management system that ensures process control, yields and traceability,” explains Wein.

“Through these farms, insect products can be used competitively in aquafeed, animal feed and pet food applications, while the insect by-product can be used as a fertilizer for crops and plantations regenerating tropical, often acidified soils.”

Cricket One is optimizing its food processing to develop widely appealing products (Image credit: Cricket One).Protenga expects its new farms to be completed by the end of the year. In parallel, it is launching its white-label, insect-based hypoallergenic pet food.

Meanwhile, Cricket One is concentrated on creating cricket products that appear attractive to wider and unaccustomed markets. In Vietnam, it recently launched its own roasted seasoned cricket snacks.

“Imagine a pig covered in its own feces – would anyone think about eating it? It’s a different story when processed into loin, grilled ribs or bacon. We are focusing on the food processing side to make cricket protein acceptable to a larger audience,” says Dang.

“Also, we are commercializing cricket protein with plant-based sources mechanically engineered into meaty, fibrous structures, seasoned with different sauces like teriyaki and packed in ready-to-cook, frozen form. This product will be introduced at price parity to chicken in Japan and some EU countries.”

In the EU, IPIFF remains committed to unlocking new opportunities for European insect farmers. According to Grassi, future possibilities like the diversification of the inputs authorized as insect substrates could help upscale the insect farming sector.

“The possible authorization of former foodstuffs containing meat and fish and catering waste would also play a key role in upcycling the sector’s production capacity,” she adds.

By Joshua Poole